Virginia Highlands Community College 2024 Commencement Program

Commencement Speakers (continued)

Danielle Artrip Associates of Applied Science in Nursing

Danielle Artrip of Bluff City is married to her high school sweetheart and is the proud “mother of five beautiful children: Forrest, Karterbeth, Wyatt, Abram Luke, and Sully Kate.” With the love and support of her large and close-knit family, Artrip enrolled at VHCC and was grateful to find another family waiting for her. Her Virginia Highlands family helped her earn her first college degree in Emergency Medical Services in 2017 which enabled her to become a nationally-registered paramedic. Artrip says that VHCC has been her go-to-college because it “offered affordable local education options, and helped her achieve her goal of becoming a nurse while continuing to balance her home life as a wife and mother.” After graduation, Artrip has plans to work as a critical care nurse while attending King University to pursue bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing. As she begins these next steps in her journey, Artrip will look back on her favorite things about VHCC: “the positive rapport built with faculty, being in the simulation lab with Bethany and Kayla, and watching Amy’s portrayal of a patient during the Interdisciplinary Simulation Day.” Artrip’s advice and encouragement to her fellow graduates is “never settle for less than your worth, and know that any dream or goal you have can be obtained through hard work and dedication.”

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